Anne Lamott's "Getting Started" provided me with the most useful information on improving my writing. I always have a problem with starting written assignments. The essay shows me that people who write professionally also have this issue. The essay also shows the reader that there is no magic formula to jump-start the creative process. The writer just has to clear their mind and wait for the words to come.
The beginning of any type of communication is the most important. This is when you grab the attention of the audience. Everyone knows the impact of first impressions. Well, the first paragraph is where the reader gets their first impressions of the author. The author’s choice of words is how the reader gets to know his personality and knowledge of the subject. For example, author A says, “All of the statements I make are backed up by facts,” and author B says, “This is what I believe.” These statements send two different messages. Both writers may have the exact same references, but the reader with tend to believe author A just because his wording.
I am always preoccupied with the reader misunderstanding me. I want my writing to make the reader look at an event though my perspective, but sometimes I do not know exactly how to word my own thoughts. Lamott compares this problem to, "a fine painter attempting to capture an inner vision". Internal conflict always makes writing more difficult. Lamott list, "anxiety, judgment, doom, and guilt", as some of her personal issues, that interrupt the creative process. Everybody has there own list that they could insert in those parenthesis. These distractions create "writers block." The worst time to have these issues come up is close to a dead line. A person has two choices in this situation. He can sit at his desk and force himself to finish or receive an undesirable grade. Lamott describes it is as writing with an "imaginary gun to your head."
A writer experiences a great feeling when those creative juices finally begin to flow. Every part of your brain is working together and all the distractions have gone to sleep for the night. You know they will be up in the morning though, so you have to work fast. When you finally get to the end and you read your essay all together, it makes no sense. Lamott says that sometimes, she prays that she does not die before she can rewrite and destroy her first draft.
“Getting started” helped me with my writing in a psychological way. It did not show me how to write in perfect MLA format, or re-teach me rules of grammar that I haven used since 10 the grade. However, it gives a look into the process that a seasoned writer uses to get started. Come to find out, there starting method does not differ from anyone else’s. A reader would believe, after reading a great novel, the writer is a story-telling savant. However, you never know how many rough drafts the book had to go through to get to this level.
Hi J,
ReplyDeleteThis essay was my favorite of all the reading this week. I liked that the tone was humorous. Sometimes when writers talk about how they write they get a little too precious about it. When sitting down to write, I always thought I had to wait for inspiration to hit. I’m glad you pointed out the “imaginary gun to your head” remark from the essay. If I sat around and waited to be struck by the magical inspiration wand I would never make a deadline. I cut it pretty close sometimes as it is; usually because I’m staring at a blank page wondering what to write. It turns out I have no trouble finishing when the topic interests me. Perhaps part of the discipline of writing is to write even when the topic is not inspiring.
I have a “Nurse Ratched” in my head too. I don’t know why I even listen to her, the only thing she knows how to say is,”This is crap”. Typically, she chimes in after I’ve finished something I think is particularly good; undermining my confidence; making me doubt myself. Sometimes I imagine an audience when I’m writing. They stand behind me with folded arms, rolling their eyes and harrumphing with disdain. (Right now they’re telling me I used those semi-colons incorrectly. Maybe this isn’t the right use of parentheses either).
One thing I love about our English class is that we have to get past the Nurse Ratched and the harrumphing naysayers and get it done! So here is my pathetic writing for anyone to read. So far no one has said, “This is crap” (not where I could hear it anyway). Jennifer has been encouraging in her feedback too, and that gives me hope.
Hi John!
ReplyDeleteWe’ll hello fellow group member! I hope all is well. Any who, I enjoyed your blog about Anne Lamott’s “Getting Started.” Based on our peers blogs it seems we all really got some helpful tips from her essay. My blog also focused in on her essay also, I loved how she put the process in perspective. I think we all have writing anxieties and projecting our ideas are a large part of it. I’m guilty of the same thing, I start to get stuck in the midst of my thoughts because I focus on how people will perceive them. But I suppose in the end it will get a different perception from each person. Yet as you said once those creative juices get flowing you got to run with it because the distractions are bound to reappear. I’m my blog I mention how I feel a little inspiration can combat the problem of distraction interrupting the creative flow. Yet I think you described it best when you say how the essay helped you in a psychological way. Its seems a little weird to say but its true I suppose it made me feel a little less crazy with my writing habits and the things that inhibit them. Plus its sort of refreshing to get a different view of the writing process rather than the technical portions, as you said. Anyway I enjoyed your blog! Well done.
Vanessa
Man I like your essay. I do have a disagreement though. You write “the first paragraph is where the reader gets their first impressions of the author.” I disagree with this assessment. I believe that we can tell a lot about the writer and the tone of an essay not just from the first paragraph, but also from the title of the essay. For instance, If the title is funny, we can assume that the essay itself will also be funny. If the title asks a question, we can safely assume that the essay will attempt to answer that question. We will know what direction the essay will take and learn something about the author immediately from those few words given before the essay even starts.
ReplyDeleteThese things being said, we know nothing about approach from the title, and the title could be abstract and have completely nothing to do with the essay. These things aside I still see where you are coming from when you state what you did above. We learn about the writers thought process by his reasoning, and expertise by choice of wording. The writer can tell us so much in only the first paragraph, and it is definitely important for the writer to catch our attention. I also like your take on writers block, as we have all suffered it before and it is always good to see we are not alone!
It will always make me happy to see that I am not the only person, who has problem writing. I am okay in getting started; it’s my endings that are always crappy. I agree with that the opening need to get the audience attendance. Its need to have a WOW factor, which makes a person want to keep reading. I also feel the want to keep reading should develop into a need to keep reading. I have read Anna Lamott's "Getting Started," and it didn’t help me at all but then again everyone have a different view. I agree with you that there is a big difference between a fact and believe. I also agree that all essays should state if it’s a fact or believe. I personally use, “I feel” the majority of the time. I always make my mother read all my work before I turn it in, due to the fact that she will read my essays out loud, she stop every few sentence and say “what do you mean?” So don’t feel bad, I think that every one thinks faster then they can write, which makes it hard to write down your thought in a clear way. Your writing will always make more sense to you then anyone else. Good Luck to you, in your further essay/speeches.---shyla
ReplyDeleteHey there!
ReplyDeleteI loved Lamott's "Getting Started." I love her tone. It's extremely personable and immediately sets the reader at ease. I mean, she starts cracking jokes right off the bat, and how can you not love a writer for that? A lot of the essays we've read so far have been like this. I was so worried we'd have extremely dry material to read, and with the amount we have to read, I'm glad so many of the pieces are as informal as they are.
It's really true that there is no specific way to start writing, and everyone has a different way that they start. A lot of the time, when I've decided to write something or I have an idea in my head, I'll sit in front of the blank document, not unsure about what I have to say, but thinking three or four steps ahead of the thought which originally inspired me. Sometimes this gets confusing and I'll even forget my original inspirational thought, but that only happens rarely. Most of the time, I'll sit there, pretty much ready t burst with the amount I have to say now, and I'll finally allow myself to begin and just write and write until all of that is gone. Then I'll repeat the process beginning with the thought I left off with. Lather, rinse, and repeat.